Non-traditional University of Northern Colorado student shows anyone can do it

Myra Hanson holds her granddaughter Imogen Eldridge, as her daughter sits beside her during Myra's graduation party Saturday afternoon in Greeley. Hanson was unemployed, separated from her husband and diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis before she began to pursue her passion in teaching. Hanson graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary studies: Elementary Teaching.

Myra Hanson shows off her daughter's dissertation, which was written in dedication to her, during her graduation party at her home in Greeley. Hanson sites this dissertation as one of the factors that kept her determined through school.

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It would be too easy to call Myra Hanson a stereotypical product of the recession.

Her story is similar to most anyone who struggled through the early part of the 21st century: loss of income, loss of home, loss of pride.

But where Hanson, 54, differs from many is in how she came out of it.

When Hanson walked across the stage at Nottingham Field on Saturday to get her undergraduate degree in education from the University of Northern Colorado, she not only had learned a thing or two about herself, but she came out ready to teach others that it is never too late to learn new things and change course from the path life put you on.

“My education at UNC opened up opportunities I never knew were possible,” she said. “I just hope that my story will show others that age is just a matter of how you see yourself. Whatever it is you want to do, you can do it.”

Hanson ended up at UNC four years ago after her marriage fell apart and she lost everything.

Hanson worked in retail management most of her adult life. She was doing just that when the bottom fell out with the recession. She said she couldn’t push people to “buy, buy, buy” the way the company she worked for wanted her to, so she took a break and went to work as a tutor at The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs, where she lived with her husband.

Soon after, it turned real bad.

“After 23 years we lost everything,” she said. “We were swindled out of our house and we eventually separated.”

Hanson went to Colorado Christian University for a year but it was too overwhelming, she said.

“I sold everything I had for pennies on the dollar to fix my car,” she said.

She worked as a barista for a while and enrolled at Pikes Peak Community College. But she still wasn’t happy, so she moved to Fort Collins to be near her children.

Again, she decided to take another stab at enrolling in school. Her time tutoring made her realize she had a love for children and teaching, so she began the process to enroll at UNC.

Unfortunately, she ran short of money again and had to move back to Colorado Springs to be near family and friends who could support her.

But the “nice young man” who helped her with her application convinced her to leave her registration open so if she changed her mind, she wouldn’t have to start over.

And sure enough, one year later that is exactly what happened. Everything for Hanson began to turn around. In July 2010, she moved to Greeley on a leap of faith. She enrolled at UNC and began working toward a degree in education.

“I didn’t know anybody,” she said. “It was pretty scary. I didn’t have enough money to make it through the year. But I worked part time as a private tutor and got several scholarships to make it.”

She also reunited with her husband, who moved to Greeley to be with her. During all this she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and broke her wrist and arm in multiple places in a bicycling accident.

“I just prayed to God and said, ‘You have to deal with all this. I can’t,’ ” she said.

But she did, and Saturday she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an English as a Second Language endorsement. She also has a job waiting for her at Weldon Valley Elementary School in Weldona.

“I came scared, but I’m leaving confident,” she said. “I’m getting healthier and healthier all the time. I’ve just learned not to let things get in your way. No matter what people face, they can overcome it if they set their mind to it.”

Hanson, who graduated with a 4.0 grade-point-average and summa cum laude, said she hopes she can be a role model for other non-traditional students to find new things to love late in life.

“This was a unique opportunity for me and one of the best times of my life,” she said.

Sherrie Peif covers education for The Tribune. If you have an idea for a feature, contact Sherrie at (970) 392-5632, by email at speif@greeleytribune.com. Follow her on twitter @sherriepeif.